Show-Me State Times

A former St. Charles County youth hockey coach, James R. Lambert, has admitted to sexually abusing two minor victims and recording the abuse. According to the report, Lambert confessed to sexually abusing a minor victim repeatedly over a span of more than a decade, from 2007 to 2018, when the victim was between 6 and 17 years old. The abuse took place in St. Charles County, Missouri, as well as in other states and foreign countries where Lambert took the victim. Lambert also admitted to recording the sexual abuse on multiple occasions.

Additionally, Lambert confessed to sexually abusing a second victim when they were between the ages of 6 and 9 in St. Charles and St. Louis counties. When the first victim reported the abuse, suspicions arose about Lambert's abuse of the second victim. Investigations uncovered hundreds of files on Lambert's electronic devices documenting the abuse of the second victim, along with over 1,100 files containing child sexual abuse material obtained online.

Lambert pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including two counts of production of child pornography, transporting minors across state lines for criminal sexual activity, receiving child pornography, and aggravated sexual abuse. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is set to request a 50-year prison sentence for Lambert during his sentencing on June 18.

The case was investigated by various law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake St. Louis Police Department, the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force, and the Maryland Heights Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson.

The investigation and prosecution of this case were part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Anyone with information about additional victims is urged to contact the Lake St. Louis Police Department.